September 2006 Hotlines

Oops! The sports medals picture in the center of page 136 of the August issue had the wrong caption. The correct caption should read: “Three early tennis medals, left to right: 1934 RHSTT, 1 1/4 in. dia.; 1925 Rockefeller Men’s Doubles, engraved B. Stevens, 3 1/8 in. l.; and YMCA First Prize Doubles, silver (missing c-clasp), 2 1/2 in. l., $28 for all three.” Go to www.Kovels.com/corrections.html and you can download and print out a corrected page free.

Be careful when putting any information online. There are sites for collectors to chat, show pictures, and meet other collectors. But not everyone is honest, and a valuable collection could be vulnerable if you give hints about your name, where you live, or the value of your items. You should use the same security precautions online that you use “on land.” Never open your door to a stranger. Never brag about the value of your collection in a public place.

The Titanic is still enticing collectors. A painted bronze house flag and name board, both of which were mounted on the outside of one of the ocean liner’s lifeboats, auctioned at Christie’s for $72,000.

We were interviewed about cuff link collecting last month and learned about the newest New York craze: “hot links.” For $150 you can buy battery-powered illuminated Ikuffs cuff links made in Cleveland (Ikuffs.com).

Want to be an appraiser? The University of California at Irvine is offering a Certificate Program in Appraisal Studies in fine and decorative arts. The university is working with the American Society of Appraisers. Classes are on weekends. There are very few courses for would-be appraisers and even fewer associated with a university.

Technology is moving so fast that cell phones have been listed in some collectibles price books since 2003. The first portable cellular phone call was made in 1973 from a large model. The first small (30-ounce) portable phones were introduced in 1983. Collectors can find phones from the ’90s for prices as high at $300. (Collect It, March)

Frugal homeowners who want an antique look are buying well-made name-brand old furnishings from top hotels that are remodeling. Hotels like to redecorate about every seven years. Prices are about 25% of the cost of new furniture. It is an inexpensive way to get a period look. There are companies known as hotel liquidators in lots of cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, and even Springboro, Ohio. (USA Today)

If your rugs, magazines, clothing, or other paper or cloth collectibles have been in a flood or even a damp basement, watch out for mold and musty smells. Damp mold, especially on books, should not be wiped off with a dry cloth. The mold should be dried, then brushed off outdoors to remove the spores. Indoors, a vacuum with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter will work.

Some of today’s top collectibles, according to Country Home magazine: large letters from signs (as well as the signs themselves), Currier and Ives prints, etched stemware, American Indian bracelets, picture frames, game boards, children’s chairs, folk art whimsy carvings, and anything picturing an American flag. Where we shop, all of these collectibles have been popular for many seasons.

Gold prices are up. Silver-colored jewelry became more popular in the 1990s, but already the glitter in the fashion shows is back to gold.

Old mercury barometers are bought and sold by collectors. Now 10 states, with more to follow, have restricted the sale of mercury in any form because the chemical is dangerous. Dealers have to add it to the list of antiques that can no longer be sold. What can you do with Grandma’s old mercury thermometer? Mercury is hazardous waste, so you can’t throw the thermometer out with regular trash. And to think we used to play with balls of mercury when a thermometer broke.

Now available: tours to Europe that are antiques-buying trips to famous flea markets and shops. Tours include help with shipping and packing purchases.